She met her future husband in a puppetry class at the University of Maryland in the mid-1950s and the pair created the five-minute TVsketch show Sam and Friends, a precursor to the Muppets that featured an early incarnation of Kermit.
The 55-year-old comedienne became a household name with her BBC sketch show Victoria Wood As Seen On TV and has gone on to create sitcom Dinner Ladies and West End Musical Acorn Antiques.